Jack Johnson is no hero

[No-Mas]

He beat up white dudes

I think that what Johnson did is WAAAY more impressive than what Jackie Robinson did. He was beating white dudes the *** UP!

I saw the documentary and the above quote by Boxerdog is better than anything those sociologists, historians, or boxing experts said in the documentary.

That quote is dead on right -- Johnson was beating white dudes the *** up in front of thousands and this was just thirty, forty years after slavery! Man, the pressure of being Johnson and the hate the public must have felt towards him is impossible to understand. Jackie Robinson hit some ground balls through the infield. Big deal. At a time when black dudes were expected to step and fetch it, Jack Johnson beat white dudes up. That's heavy stuff to deal with for all concerned.

[heckski]

The fact that Johnson lived as long as he did is a remarkable achievement in itself. Beating up white dudes is one thing, but OPENLY dating white women in the early 1900s? Hell there are places in the US today that where a black man can find himself in serious trouble if he covorted with white women.

I watched the first part of the doc, and I think Burns was trying to capture the greatness of Johnson, not trying to make him look like a saint. Regardless of his flaws, his accomplishments were GREAT, considering the time and circumstances he delt with.

The story needed to be told and I'm glad Burns told it.

[dansweeney]

i think he showed tremendous resolve, while people were spouting racial slurs at him constantly all he did was smile, he never broke that smile, in the film footage he looked huge too, anybody else notice that?

[No-Mas]

Looked huge

in the film footage he looked huge too, anybody else notice that?

Wait a minute, yeah Johnson was a big guy, but not huge. He looked huge because in the footage he is shown fighting Stanley Ketchel (a middleweight!) and Tommy Burns (at only 5'7" the smallest heavyweight champion in history). Put me in films against Ketchell and Burns and I'll look huge, too. Johnson certainly did not look huge against that big bear of a guy Jim Jeffries. See if Johnson looks huge tonight when they show him fighting against the Giant Jess Willard.

[hollister]

Johnson was 6'2 and weighed about 215 lbs. He beat a bunch of guys that were smaller than he was, and Jeffries. Now, people say that taking off weight takes strength, and stamina from a fighter, Jeffries had to lose what, 90 lbs., and he was an older guy that had been retired for some time, and still fought/wrestled with the much better conditioned and more active Johnson for 15 rounds, outside, in the heat. I know that Jeffries shouldn't have let them talk him into fighting Johnson, but Johnson beat a guy that had to lose 90 lbs., and was way the **** past it, and then got stopped by Willard, and tried to say that he took a dive. He was a good fighter for the time period, fought with that "Ruiz" style, and made it work against 5'7 and 5'9 fighters that sometimes gave up 40 lbs. to fight him. He was good, not great, IMO

[Boxerdog]

I saw the documentary and the above quote by Boxerdog is better than anything those sociologists, historians, or boxing experts said in the documentary.

That quote is dead on right -- Johnson was beating white dudes the *** up in front of thousands and this was just thirty, forty years after slavery! Man, the pressure of being Johnson and the hate the public must have felt towards him is impossible to understand. Jackie Robinson hit some ground balls through the infield. Big deal. At a time when black dudes were expected to step and fetch it, Jack Johnson beat white dudes up. That's heavy stuff to deal with for all concerned.

I have said it before this new documentary. It really is amazing that he wasn't killed when you add in the way people at the time felt about interacial relationships.
The S.O.B. had balls, you gotta give him credit for that!

[Clay AikSkins]

when you judge a fighter should we not just judge him on his work in the ring? We are all flawed. The man was a hero in my opinion for his work inside the ring and his bravery for standing up and succeeding inspite of the racial injustices of the time. It teaches a lesson. If he can make it back during that time we all can make it despite any obstacles that are set against us.

[phallus]

I saw the documentary and the above quote by Boxerdog is better than anything those sociologists, historians, or boxing experts said in the documentary.

That quote is dead on right -- Johnson was beating white dudes the *** up in front of thousands and this was just thirty, forty years after slavery! Man, the pressure of being Johnson and the hate the public must have felt towards him is impossible to understand. Jackie Robinson hit some ground balls through the infield. Big deal. At a time when black dudes were expected to step and fetch it, Jack Johnson beat white dudes up. That's heavy stuff to deal with for all concerned.

jack johnson's parents had been ****** when they were chlidren. he was a very intelligent man, and i think he took it on himself to punish the white man for slavery and racism. i know the guy wasn't perfect, but no one is, i love jack johnson because in a time when everyone who wasn't white was supposd to be mentally and physically inferior, a black man was the greatest athlete in the world. that's giving white racists a huge middle finger

[MlLkMan]

Yes Jack Johnson deseves to be celabrated. We cant even comprehend the stuff he had to overcome and still he made it to the top, only to have an entire section of the country try there hardest to bring him down when he made.

Your biggest problem with him seems to be that he hit his women. Well I hate to break it to you, but back then in 1913 hitting your woman was not considered out of line. Thats the honest truth it was a different era.

You also bring up that Johnson was not "an advocate for African-American rights". Again I hate to break it to you, but there were no such things at the time when Johnson was in his hey day. Even the thought of African-Americans having equal rights didn't come along till decades later.


You try and critasize him for only fighting white guys, but what you fail to realize is that black men also wanted him to fight and beat up white men. They lived through him. Also check Joe Louis record its 95% white guys for this same reason.

Johnson deserves every honor that comes his way.

Im with you man, he deserves it.

[Mr. Violence]

jack johnson went through hell and back just because he wasn't part of the majority...so I excuse him for being a bastard once in a while.